Alexander Brevill and Percy Weasley: A Match NOT made in Heaven
by depressedravenclaw
Summary: Changing yourself is not an easy task. It requires weeks, months, years of dedication to becoming a different person. Or, Percy Weasley thinks, I can just make a potion... Rated M for murder of an unknown person committed by the main character.


Percy Ignatius Weasley had always known himself to be the least liked of the Weasleys. Of course people always enjoyed the rest of his family, but when they met Percy, they became uncomfortable. He heard whispers when they thought he wasn't listening, or when they knew he was: Prat, pompous, bigheaded, annoying, obnoxious, too serious, dull, boring, git, and general, mutual wishes that he didn't exist.

Of course people liked his dad. Dad was a mild-mannered man, passionate about Muggle objects. It was hard to find something to dislike about him.

Of course people liked his mum. Mum might come off as overprotective, but it showed she cared so deeply. She raised seven Weasleys, fought against the Dark in the recent Wizarding Wars, and dueled Bellatrix Lestrange. She was a hero in her own right.

Of course people liked Bill. Bill had twelve O.W.L.s and was Prefect and Head Boy, but he wasn't teased about it because he was cool. He got a job as a Curse-Breaker and married the French, partial Veela woman. Even if somebody got in an argument with him, they'd come out liking him.

Of course people liked Charlie. Charlie was Prefect and the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, playing Seeker. Then he went to work with dragons in Romania. Plus, he had this calming aura that made it hard to feel negative around him, so people liked him.

Of course people liked Fred and George. The twins were the mischievous, fun-loving, light-hearted pranksters. They pulled off a legendary prank on Hogwarts' most hated Defense Teacher. They had only six O.W.L.s between them yet started one of the most successful businesses in Diagon Alley

Of course people liked Ron. Ron was one of Harry Potter's best friends. He also earned Prefect status. There were dozens of statues built in his honor, yet he didn't let it get to him. Finally, his love of Quidditch and his Keeper skills left many with no reason to dislike him.

And of course people liked Ginny. Ginny, who wasn't afraid to cast a Bat-Bogey Hex or teach herself to fly. The survivor of a year of horror and wife of Harry Potter. Her personality, stubborn and fierce, attracted many friends—who could hate her?

When it came to Percy, his accomplishments were not good enough to make up for his unpleasant personality and his part in the war. People simply couldn't like him. Love him as a family member? Yes. Respect him? Yes. But like him? As he was, no. Not yet.

But soon. He had a miracle in the making. Percy invented a potion that would theoretically correct his personality. It wouldn't do too much, because he didn't want to be a different person—the change might be tiring and noticeable. No, it would only smooth over his edges until people could like him. To differentiate, he would call it Brevill. Mr. Alexander Brevill.

Then he mixed it into red paint and dipped a bracelet in it—for convenience. All that was left was wearing it. Percy picked it up and hesitated. What if the paint wasn't dry enough? What if it didn't work? (What if it works and people notice?) He left it at home. He was supposed to wear it to a family luncheon at the Burrow(everyone would be there, which meant he had to), but not today.

He ended the night pissed and regretting the decision. If asked, he couldn't give a reason, because it was the little things. The twins retold stories of their pranks, but only the ones where they tricked Percy. Every smile directed at him was fake, and likewise, he couldn't muster a genuine one. Most of the conversation was about the war, for some reason, and he couldn't participate without feeling guilty.

The next public event Percy attended was the annual Ministry Ball which had so many people, he didn't see any of his family. Which was good. He hesitated to adorn the bracelet that would rectify his personality, but this time harnessed his Gryffindor bravery and clasped it around his ankle before he could stop himself again.

It coursed through him, the change, starting in his feet and reverberating its way up through his whole body. At first, the sensation was unpleasant, but not painful. Then it hit his head and pain—fire, daggers, a Cruciatus focused solely on his mind. Yet it lasted less than a minute before it faded away.

Percy felt...different. Now that he wasn't in pain it had become a distant memory, and he could only recognize the positive side effects of the change. Before, his personality had been at constant war. Arrogance caused by his achievements warred with insecurity from the constant teasing. The bracelet repressed both and replaced them with a confidence he hadn't felt, ever, one that wouldn't turn people away like his arrogance did and wouldn't be undermined by his insecurity. Brevill hadn't created the confidence, either, it had searched in the depths of his core for it. And...that was it. Nothing else changed, he confirmed with rising hope.

(In the mirror, Percy inspected himself to make sure nothing physical had changed. But he wasn't focused on the task, so he didn't notice the sharp gleam in his eyes. He didn't notice his hair, less curly and more styled, or a light stubble on his chin, or how his more prominent cheekbones gave him a very mature look. He didn't notice more hair on his arms and legs, and he definitely didn't notice more muscle and less fat...everywhere, really. Most of the people Percy knew were only acquaintances, and none of them would recognize him unless he gave his name.)

The annual Ministry Ball would have been a bore if he'd gone as his regular self. With the confidence brought out by Brevill, he owned it. He wasn't by any standards the life of the party, but he experienced the social environment in a way he hadn't before. People willingly conversed with him and some even sounded interested in him. His boss had found him and didn't look uncomfortable having done so.

At the end of the night, right before he slept, he removed the bracelet, seeing no reason not to. But the moment the bracelet came unclasped, every change it had made returned to the way it had been. He was too exhausted to want it back. When he woke up the next morning, that wasn't true. He craved the confidence Brevill gave him. As much as he wanted it, he decided it would only be for social gatherings. He could recall the pain during the change clearly now.

Over the course of the next two weeks, his resolve crumbled. The more he wore the bracelet, the less it hurt to put it on. In fact, it now hurt to remove it, like ripping out his heart.

With the help of Brevill, he'd been promoted to a more powerful job that he actually enjoyed. Women talked to him like he was interesting. Brevill had required a different wand(which came with a curious stare from the old wandmaker) but his spell work bested Percy's any day. And his family...Mum, Dad, and Ginny seemed to think the change negative, but his brothers made up for it by liking him now.

Percy had just come home from a family dinner, which all of his siblings and his parents attended. Joy radiated from him, because of how his family treated him like he was a part of it. He decided, what was the harm in keeping the bracelet on? It would only hurt to take it off. The pros seemed greater than the cons. With that, he fell asleep.

"_You made a grave mistake...you let me in…" The voice cackled, loud and echoey. It came from all around him._

_Percy ran. He didn't know why, but probably because of the voice. The more time passed, the more his surroundings took shape: A forest, at night, on the full moon. The voice belonged to a werewolf, and it chased him. But how could he ever hope to defeat a werewolf?_

"_My, my...you're stubborn. But you created me. You can't run and pretend."_

_He took a risk and turned, hoping to catch a glimpse. The werewolf's red fur matched the color Percy painted Brevill. It glowed like a _lumos maxima.

"_This has gone on long enough."_

_A branch took him by surprise and he tripped, sprawling on the ground. All his energy left him. _

"_That's good, just let it happen...think about how nice it feels…"_

_The werewolf stood him up and put its arms around him. Its fur radiated warmth, albeit with an ominous undertone. It linked its fingers together and its hands shifted into the clasp on the bracelet._

"_Mine, you're my—" The werewolf fell over, cutting itself off. "What? No!" _

Percy woke up breathing heavily. He threw the blanket off of himself and checked his right ankle. The bracelet wasn't there. Then he spotted it on the floor, unclasped but unharmed. It must have come off during the night. Usually he didn't move around much while asleep, but a nightmare like that…

It hit him. Brevill, it was the cause of his nightmare. It was about to take him over and control him when, by chance, he'd thrashed around enough to throw it off.

He opened the secret safe that contained his notes on how to make Brevill. They were set aflame with a flick of Percy's wand, and he vanished the ashes. Then he levitated the bracelet into the safe and locked it. The safe was voice activated and required a password, the password being "13 ⅛, 12 ½, 12 ¾." He could get in if he wanted, but hopefully he'd lose his nerve before he did.

Percy pretended it had never happened. He went to work as usual that day and tried not to think about Brevill, but of course that only made him think about it more. And he craved it more, craved the changes Brevill made in him. The nightmare faded from his mind. _Surely, _he thought, _it hadn't been that bad? Brevill's only been good so far. I probably overreacted._

When he got home from work, he immediately opened the safe and slipped the bracelet on his ankle. The changes happened quickly now, without pain. Then a voice spoke in his head, one he instinctively knew was Brevill.

"_There's no party today, nothing for us to do. Merlin, I'm bored. Let's have some fun, shall we?" _

Brevill left the house and took a walk. He crossed over into the Muggle side of London. The sun had already set for an hour or two and few people went on foot this time of day, only those obnoxious cars.

He spotted a pretty lady walking briskly on the other side of the road. She noticed him and walked even quicker. Brevill chuckled to himself and crossed the street to get closer.

She turned onto a street with no cars on it. He took the opportunity to cast a spell, one that would stop the muggle in her tracks, a Body-Bind Curse. She froze but didn't fall. He stepped closer to get a better look. Oh, but she was beautiful, her eyes filled with fear.

Percy's consciousnesses interrupted here. _What are we doing? Are you sure we should be doing it? _Brevill laughed and knocked him out.

He awoke in his bed with the lady's nude, ravaged corpse and fear made him immediately vanish her. The same dream as before had woken him up, where Brevill came close to taking him over but didn't manage it fully. Again, he found the bracelet unclasped on the floor.

He shut it up in the safe again and stuck a painting over it, then cast a Permanent Sticking Charm tu keep it from opening. Clearly Brevill wasn't to be trusted. Percy resolved to never wear the bracelet again.

The next few days acted like a detox, if Brevill had been a drug. His skin, normally a healthy, slightly tanned color, was sickly white like seagull droppings. Permanent black lines hung under his eyes, showing an intense lack of sleep. Sweat dripped from his skin even through it was a breezy fall day. He couldn't cast spells with a wand for his hands shook too much.

The only evidence to show that Percy hadn't been on drugs was the fact that his condition worsened the longer he kept the bracelet off. He locked himself up in his house after the second day, not wanting to show his face to those who would mock him. On the fourth day, he craved human contact but wouldn't let word of his condition get out. On the sixth day he could hardly move from his bed.

Finally, finally, he gave in. His mind was muddled from the state he was in but desire for Brevill brought the password to mind. "13 ⅛, 12 ½, 12 ¾," Percy croaked out. He reached in and grabbed the bracelet with his thumb and index finger, touching as little of it as possible. Brevill called to him like a siren, _wear me, wear me, Percy. _

Hands stilled from the proximity of the bracelet, he fumbled with the clasp until it clicked together around his ankle. Less than a second had passed when Brevill's magic worked its way up his body to the top of his head. Already he could feel Brevill molding his mind into what it had been the last time he wore, turning it into something unnatural.

The desire he'd possessed to wear the bracelet had vanished when he recognized the changes. In a burst of accidental magic, he broke the clasp and threw it off.

_It's too late, _Brevill softly chided in his mind. _You couldn't stop yourself and you came back wanting more. You can't stop this now, Percy. _

"No," Percy denied wildly. "No, no, you can't! You're not me! You can't control my body!"

_Oh, but I can. That's what you made me for. A better version of you, and when they can have the upgraded version, why would anyone want the tacky,outdated one?_

"Mum, Dad, Ginny, they—they noticed, and they didn't like you. They'll put a stop to you. I was—I was foolish to make you!"

_But you did make me. And really, what do you think they can do to stop me? I'm inevitable. I was since the first time you allowed to me to correct you, and now you'll be correct permanently. _

Brevill sent pressure that engulfed Percy and pried away his control of his body. He sank to his knees and gripped his head in both hands, wanting to rip out the bracelet's taint on him. The pressure increased until he couldn't take it anymore and blacked out.

When he did, Percy's body stood up, examining itself appreciatively. It took a few steps and twirled to test that it was really in control. Then it smirked, one that would have sent shivers at anyone who saw it.

"I told him," it said in a voice quite unlike what had come out of the body moments earlier. "And now, I win. I...am...Alexander Brevill!"


End file.
